Taking time off can feel like a luxury we can’t afford. I often found the excitement about an upcoming vacation was always paired with an equal and opposite degree of dread about the increased workload that often existed before and after the time away, or worry about upcoming projects or challenges that may develop.
I recall thinking at times, “Is this really worth it?”
It turns out that research in neuroscience and organizational psychology increasingly shows that it is. Periods of true disengagement, especially those involving travel or novelty, are essential for sustained cognitive performance, creativity, and leadership effectiveness.
For healthcare leaders, whose work depends on judgment, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and relationship management, this matters more than ever.
Your Brain Under Chronic Workload
When we work continuously without meaningful recovery, several predictable things happen in the brain:
Prefrontal cortex fatigue
The prefrontal cortex—critical for decision-making, prioritization, and creative thinking—becomes less efficient under prolonged cognitive demand. This helps explain why insight and clarity decline the longer we push without breaks.
Elevated stress hormones
Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high. Over time, this impairs memory formation, emotional regulation, and cognitive flexibility.
Attentional depletion
Our attention systems aren’t designed for nonstop engagement. Without recovery, focus degrades and “attention residue” accumulates—reducing effectiveness even when we’re technically still working.
The result? More hours worked, less value created.
When We Step Away, Our Brain Shifts
Default Mode Network Activation
When we disengage from task-focused work, the brain’s default mode network (DMN) becomes more active. This network supports memory consolidation, emotional processing, the integration of ideas, and insight and creativity.
This is why solutions often emerge in the shower, on a walk, or while traveling, not during back-to-back meetings. My colleague Eric Norwood makes the case that this kind of reflection, which MEDI calls “Heads Up” time, should be standard practice for healthcare leaders.
Novelty Drives Cognitive flexibility
Travel and new experiences introduce novelty, which research links to learning and cognitive flexibility. Exposure to unfamiliar environments can improve creative thinking and adaptability upon return to work.
In simple terms: New inputs help the brain form new connections. In an earlier post on Heads Up leadership, MEDI founder Lee Angus describes a healthcare executive at one of the nation’s largest health systems who builds regular trips to a nearby hockey rink into his schedule. The repetitive loops slow his brain down enough for insights to break through, and he captures them in a notebook he leaves on the bench. Extended time off work offers the same benefit on a larger scale.
Stress Recovery and Cognitive Restoration
Extended breaks allow stress physiology to normalize and the benefits of vacation-improved mood, energy, and performance-can persist for weeks. Time off doesn’t just reduce stress; it restores cognitive capacity.
As a Leader, Your Vacation Sets the Tone
When organizations genuinely support time away, the payoff includes stronger retention, greater innovation, lower stress, and more sustainable performance. By contrast, cultures that reward constant availability can breed burnout and cognitive exhaustion, which erode the very productivity they’re meant to protect.
Leaders shape culture less through policy than through behavior.
Humans learn by watching what leaders actually do. When leaders truly disconnect during vacation, they send a powerful message: Rest is safe. Recovery is valued. You are not expected to be constantly available.
When leaders “vacation” but remain online, the opposite message can land—regardless of what the organization’s policies say.
And when people trust that taking time off won’t hurt their standing or leave their team struggling, they are more likely to use their vacation, return with renewed energy, and sustain their performance over time.
Practical Ways to Set the Standard
- Talk openly about time off. Share how you prepare, what you’re looking forward to, and why taking a break matters.
- Disconnect fully. Resist the urge to check in “just once.” Your absence is part of the message. For physician leaders and clinicians with on-call responsibilities, define exactly what warrants contract and hand off everything else.
- Share what you notice when you return. Maybe you came back with more clarity, energy, perspective, or a new idea. Make the benefit of stepping away visible.
- Encourage your team to take their time. Ask about their plans and make it clear that vacation is not something they need to earn or apologize for.
- Build systems that support true handoffs. Clear coverage plans allow people to step away without worry and create opportunities for others to stretch, learn, and build confidence. In that sense, your vacation can strengthen your bench, not weaken it.
- Model the return, too. Come back rested rather than immediately reinforcing a culture of urgency and overload.
How to Maximize the Brain Benefits of Time Off
Not all time off is equally restorative. Research suggests a few principles:
1. Real disconnection matters: Even brief work check-ins during time off can undermine recovery. Set boundaries and honor them.
2. Seek contrast and immersion: The greater the difference from your daily routine, the stronger the cognitive benefit.
3. Give it enough time: Shorter breaks are worthwhile, but deeper restoration typically requires longer periods, often a week or more.
4. Plan a gentle re-entry: A buffer day to settle in and get your bearings before returning to full workload reduces stress reactivation and preserves your vacation benefits.
Time off, especially when it includes novelty, rest, and true disconnection, is neurologically necessary for the kind of thinking healthcare leadership demands.
When leaders protect their own brain health, they give others permission to do the same. And that’s how cultures of clarity, creativity, and sustainable performance are built.
So, the next time you hesitate to take that trip or use those days, remember: Stepping away is one of the best investments you can make in your impact.
